GridMew1Check region C
region C has only one remaining candidate: row 3, column 3. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 1. Place one cat, then exclude 14 other cells.Puzzle gm-6-0003
6 × 6 challenge
Take this puzzle one clear step at a time.
Try the puzzle yourself, then explore how the deductions build.
Puzzle board · starting state
Your starting point
This original 6×6 board has 6 connected regions and 0 fixed cats. The smallest region is C, with 1 cell. Start by ruling out every other cell in each fixed cat’s row, column and region, plus its immediate neighbors.
The verified route below uses 6 forced placements and 1 candidate-elimination step after the givens. Region sizes: A: 4 · B: 11 · C: 1 · D: 5 · E: 14 · F: 1. These are observations about this board, not a guarantee that a smaller region always contains the next move.
Read each diagram in sequence. Cats and × marks in the before-state come from earlier deductions. Green outlines identify the current observation. Open the final answer only when you want the spoiler.
Step-by-step walkthrough
2Check region F
region F has only one remaining candidate: row 6, column 6. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 2. Place one cat, then exclude 9 other cells.3Use a candidate lock
Every candidate in region D lies in column 1 (row 4, column 1; row 5, column 1). Its cat must use that shared section. Exclude row 1, column 1; row 2, column 1 from the rest of column 1.
Before step 3. Exclude 2 cells; then scan for a new single.4Check row 2
row 2 has only one remaining candidate: row 2, column 5. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 4. Place one cat, then exclude 3 other cells.5Check row 1
row 1 has only one remaining candidate: row 1, column 2. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 5. Place one cat, then exclude 1 other cells.6Check row 4
row 4 has only one remaining candidate: row 4, column 1. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 6. Place one cat, then exclude 1 other cells.7Check row 5
row 5 has only one remaining candidate: row 5, column 4. Every other cell is excluded by earlier placements or deductions. Place the cat here.
Before step 7. Place one cat, then exclude 0 other cells.Show solution · reveals all cat positions
The final cats satisfy every row, column and region quota, with no edge or corner contact.
Cat positions: r1c2, r2c5, r3c3, r4c1, r5c4, r6c6.